Harlequin

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Harlequin \Har"le*quin\ (h[aum]r"l[-e]*k[i^]n or -kw[i^]n), n.
     [F. arlequin, formerly written also harlequin (cf. It,
     arlecchino), prob. fr. OF. hierlekin, hellequin, goblin, elf,
     which is prob. of German or Dutch origin; cf. D. hel hell.
     Cf. {Hell}, {Kin}.]
     A buffoon, dressed in party-colored clothes, who plays


     tricks, often without speaking, to divert the bystanders or
     an audience; a merry-andrew; originally, a droll rogue of
     Italian comedy. --Percy Smith.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           As dumb harlequin is exhibited in our theaters.
                                                    --Johnson.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Harlequin bat} (Zool.), an Indian bat ({Scotophilus
        ornatus}), curiously variegated with white spots.
  
     {Harlequin beetle} (Zool.), a very large South American
        beetle ({Acrocinus longimanus}) having very long legs and
        antenn[ae]. The elytra are curiously marked with red,
        black, and gray.
  
     {Harlequin cabbage bug}. (Zool.) See {Calicoback}.
  
     {Harlequin caterpillar}. (Zool.), the larva of an American
        bombycid moth ({Euch[ae]tes egle}) which is covered with
        black, white, yellow, and orange tufts of hair.
  
     {Harlequin duck} (Zool.), a North American duck
        ({Histrionicus histrionicus}). The male is dark ash,
        curiously streaked with white.
  
     {Harlequin moth}. (Zool.) See {Magpie Moth}.
  
     {Harlequin opal}. See {Opal}.
  
     {Harlequin snake} (Zool.), See {harlequin snake} in the
        vocabulary.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Harlequin \Har"le*quin\ (h[aum]r"l[-e]*k[i^]n or -kw[i^]n), v.
     i.
     To play the droll; to make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Harlequin \Har"le*quin\, v. t.
     To remove or conjure away, as by a harlequin's trick.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           And kitten, if the humor hit
           Has harlequined away the fit.            --M. Green.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  harlequin
       n : a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the
           commedia dell'arte)
       v : variegate with spots or marks; "His face was harlequined
           with patches"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  103 Moby Thesaurus words for "harlequin":
     Columbine, Dalmatian, Hanswurst, Harlequin, Pantalone, Pantaloon,
     Polichinelle, Pulcinella, Punch, Punchinello, Scaramouch,
     antigorite, bicolor, bicolored, buffo, buffoon, butterfly,
     candy cane, chameleon, check, checker, checkerboard, checkerwork,
     cheetah, chessboard, chrysotile, clown, colorful,
     colors in patches, colory, confetti, crazy, crazy quilt,
     crazy-work, daedal, dichromatic, divers-colored, firedog, fool,
     iris, jack-pudding, jaguar, jester, kaleidoscopic, leopard,
     mackerel, mackerel sky, many-colored, marble, marbled paper,
     marquetry, medley, merry-andrew, moire, mosaic, mother-of-pearl,
     motley, motley fool, multicolor, multicolored, multicolorous,
     nacre, ocelot, opal, ophite, parquet, parquetry, parti-color,
     parti-colored, patchwork, patchwork quilt, peacock, pickle-herring,
     plaid, polychromatic, polychrome, polychromic, prismal, rainbow,
     serpentine, serpentine marble, shot, shot silk, shot through,
     spectral, spectrum, tartan, tessellation, tesserae,
     thunder and lightning, tortoise shell, trichromatic, trichromic,
     tricolor, tricolored, two-tone, varicolored, variegated,
     variegated pattern, versicolor, versicolored, zany, zebra